Method and system for presenting banners having direct link to user profile information

ABSTRACT

A method and system for generating electronic advertisement, such as banner ads, based on user profile information and other information are disclosed. An online promotion service may receive profile information, location information and other information from a user. The user may also define a proximity preference which may include a range of distance the user is willing to travel to redeem one or more promotions. A service or product provider or other authorized entity may define a proximity preference which may include a target range of advertisement exposure. The online promotion service may present advertisements for incentives and other promotions based on user profile information as well as proximity preference information where the proximity preference is defined by the user, the provider, or both. The user may activate a user identifier displayed on the advertisement which provides a direct link to user profile information to enable the user to easily and quickly modify and update user profile information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/937,367, filed Sep. 10, 2004 (status: pending), which claims priorityto U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/501,855, filed Sep.11, 2003, the contents of each of which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the electronic distribution of securemoney saving or discount coupons and other marketing incentives, thatincludes the ability to electronically deliver personalized promotioninformation, such as a banner ad, to a user based on the user'slocation, profile information, proximity preferences and otherinformation where the personalized promotion information has a directlink to the user's profile information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Millions of consumers regularly use product redemption coupons andrealize substantial savings as a result. Significant time is spentclipping and sorting coupons, discarding expired coupons and organizingcurrent coupons for use on shopping trips. Conventional coupondistribution results in significant wasted time due to consumers'attempts to manage their coupon use.

Coupons are delivered to consumers through a variety of media such as,for example, free standing inserts (FSIs), in-store shelf coupondispensers, check-out coupons (generally issued based on the customer'scurrent purchase), register receipt coupons, in-product coupons, instantpeel-off on-product coupons, direct mail coupons, and/or other deliverymethods. In addition to manufacturers' coupons, consumers use retailstore coupons, such as those issued by large retail chains on a weeklybasis.

Some consumers use coupons on a fairly random basis. These consumerstend not to keep coupons for future use, but will review couponsavailable just prior to shopping to see if any of them cover productsthey plan to buy or if there are any for new or improved products ofinterest.

More organized coupon users maintain some form of storage system to keepcoupons for future use. These consumers often clip coupons regularlyfrom all available sources, and often have coupon filing systems byproduct category. They will also review their coupons regularly,discarding unused coupons which have expired.

For most consumers, attempts to maintain an organized coupon file oftenfails. The “bother” and time required to maintained organized couponfiles often results in neglect of those files, even though diligentshoppers know that a consistent significant savings is easily achievableusing coupons.

The notion of issuing product redemption coupons to consumers was aninnovative idea to entice consumers to try new products in the hopethat, after the first try of a new product at a coupon discounted price,they would become repeat customers at the regular price. Coupons areeffective tools used in launching new products. Manufacturers also findcoupons can shore up flagging sales, help reduce excess inventory or winback consumers' brand loyalty, and so coupons for existing products havebecome customary, so much so that today's consumers have come to expectcoupons. Often, coupon price incentives significantly reduce brandloyalty, and manufacturers must issue more coupons than desired tomaintain market share. Market share also has been impacted by anincrease in the number and variety of competing “no-name” store brands.The competitive nature of the retail industry does not allowmanufacturers to reduce coupon distribution, and in some market sectors,such as cereals, the majority of purchases are made with coupons.

Attempts have been made to meet the needs of the coupon industry and theconsumer. For example, attempts have included television-based couponreception system wherein coupon information is transmitted along withprogram information to a broadcast audience, electronic paperless couponsystem where coupon signs are placed near the related item and thediscount is automatically applied at the point of sale, kiosk typeprinter stations located at a retail store linked to the manufacturer(s)in order to obtain specific coupon information, and/or other attempts.While these aforementioned attempts at providing couponing systems areuseful in their own right, they fail to provide for a secure andinteractive coupon generation system in which the user can request,select, store, manipulate and print coupons as desired, in whichuser-specific information such as demographic data and datarepresentative of those coupons so requested, selected, printed andactually used may be provided back to the coupon issuer and distributorfor more efficient coupon targeting in subsequent coupon issuance anddistribution.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide such acoupon distribution system which overcomes the aforementioned problemsand shortcomings of the prior art.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic coupondistribution system which can be easily accessed by masses of consumersby using a readily available personal computer rather than needing topurchase special-purpose equipment.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such anelectronic coupon distribution system which allows a user to requesttransmission of coupon data and select, store, manipulate and printcoupons from such coupon data.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such anelectronic coupon distribution system which allows the coupon issuingcompanies to access valuable information directly from the consumerwithout requiring specific and additional action by the consumer butrather by using the information from the user's personal computerregarding the consumer's selection, printing and actual redemption ofcoupons, as well as responses to demographic queries posed to the users.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such anelectronic coupon distribution system which allows a consumer togenerate shopping lists associated with coupons selected and printed, inorder to simplify the shopping process and promote the use of productcoupons.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such anelectronic coupon distribution system which allows for automaticdeletion of expired coupons in the user's computer database and themodification of redemption amounts of coupons in the user's database,both of which can be transparent to the user.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide asecure coupon system which generates unique coupons withuser-identifying data and allows the printing of a coupon only once,thus eliminating the possibility of fraud by both the consumer and theretailer.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an efficient,low cost, zip-code/lifestyle/lifestage or household targeted coupondistribution system to tailor the incentives to each user.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide electronicdelivery of incentive information, which may include a banner ad, basedon a user's location information, profile information, proximity to aparticular incentive redemption facility, and other information.

It is a still further object of the invention to enable a user to enterprofile information, location information, and proximity preferences sothat the user may view advertisements for products or services that areof particular interest to the user and conveniently located forredemption.

It is a still further object of the invention to enable a product orservice provider or other entity to target advertisements, such asbanner ads, to individuals located within a defined range of anassociated redemption facility.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a direct linkto user profile information when presenting personalized incentiveinformation to the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with these and other objects, provided is a system fordistributing and generating at a remote site product redemption couponscomprising a centrally located repository of electronically storedproduct redemption coupon data, transmission means operativelyassociated with said centrally located repository for providing datacommunication between said repository and a plurality of remote usercomputers, and a remote user computer operatively associated with saidtransmission means. The remote user computer in the present inventioncomprises interface means for providing user interaction with thecentrally located repository, a memory, and a coupon data managementprogram. The coupon data management program is implemented by thecomputer for requesting coupon data from the centrally locatedrepository, for storing in the memory coupon data transmitted from thecentrally located repository, and for generating printable coupon datafrom the stored coupon data. The remote user computer also comprises acoupon output buffer operatively associated with the data managementprogram for storing the printable coupon data generated by said coupondata management program.

The present invention additionally comprises a printer for printingproduct redemption coupons from the printable coupon data stored in thecoupon output buffer. Alternatively, the system may enable the user totransmit electronically the printable coupon data from the coupon outputbuffer to the centrally located repository or directly to the retailerfor electronic coupon redemption.

As a result of the present invention, a user of the remote computer isable to request coupon data to be transmitted from said centrallylocated repository, and the user is able to instruct his computer toprint or electronically transfer product redemption coupons generatedfrom the transmitted coupon data. In particular, the user's computerassembles product redemption coupons for printing by using two datacomponents; (1) fixed coupon data which is transmitted to the user'scomputer during an initialization or “sign-up” process and which remainsstored on the user's computer for subsequent coupon generation, and (2)variable coupon data which is transmitted to the user's computerwhenever he requests coupon data from the central repository.

Additionally, the coupon data management program of the presentinvention operates in conjunction with the remote computer to allow theuser to select and store certain desired coupon data from the coupondata transmitted by the centrally located repository and print couponsas selected. The coupon data management program also allows the user togenerate a shopping list which is correlated to the coupons printed forsubsequent redemption.

In the present invention, the data exchange capabilities provided by thetransmission medium between the remote computer and the centralrepository allow the automatic transfer of valuable information from theremote computer to the central repository and, ultimately, to the coupondistributing and issuing centers. Information related to the couponsselected and printed can be supplied to the coupon distributors andissuers, which can also use information obtained from the various retailstores as to which coupons were actually redeemed in order to moreintelligently market subsequent coupons and target coupon issuance in amore cost effective manner.

The data exchange capabilities are further advantageously utilized inthe present invention to allow, via the central repository, the updatingof coupon data stored in the user's remote computer without requiredinteraction from the user if the user is online. In particular, thecentral repository can delete expired coupons from the remote computer'scoupon database and can vary the amount of redemption value of anon-expired coupon if so desired. The capability for the updating anddeleting of coupons within a user's computer is programmed in the user'scomputer such that no further interaction with the central repository isrequired for such coupons to be deleted or updated.

The present invention provides for secure coupon generation by allowingthe printing of a particular coupon only once. Further, and quiteimportantly, the present invention provides for the printing on eachcoupon of certain user-specific data, thus making each coupon printedunique. Thus, two different users with access to printing a particularcoupon will each print coupons with the same product, discount, andexpiration date data, yet each will be unique since printed thereon willbe user-specific data, preferably in the form of a user-specific barcode. Thus, any attempts to duplicate via photocopying techniques anyparticular coupon will be discouraged since the coupon redemption centerwill detect when a particular coupon has been redeemed, will identifythe user who redeems a particular coupon, and will disallow any attemptat redemption of a second coupon with identical product anduser-specific data.

The present invention provides for a method and system for generatingincentive information, such as electronic banners, based on userprofile, location and other information. A user may specify profileinformation including specific areas of interest. This enables thepromotion service to provide incentive information that may be ofparticular interest to the user. This effectively eliminates thebombardment of so-called junk mail. Instead, the user may receiveinformation regarding incentives for products and services that the userwill most likely be interested in.

In addition, the present invention provides incentive information, suchas a banner ad, with a direct link to user profile information. Thisenables users to quickly and easily update and modify profileinformation so that users may customize the type and amount of incentiveinformation to be received.

The present invention further enables a user to provide locationinformation and proximity preferences. The user may identify the rangeof distance the user is willing to travel to redeem incentives. Thisprovides the user with advertisements of products and services that aremost conveniently located for redemption.

The present invention further enables merchants, service or productproviders, and other entities the ability to specify a target proximityrange for advertisements. The promotion service may use user locationinformation to provide targeted advertisements to users within apredetermined proximity to the user's identified location. This providesconvenience to the user when attempting to redeem targeted coupons.Thus, a product provider may limit its exposure to within apredetermined mile radius of a store (e.g., redemption facility). Thisconserves resources while maximizing exposure to interested potentialcustomers. Potential consumers who receive advertisements and incentivesthat may be redeemed at a conveniently located redemption facility maybe more inclined to take advantage of the promotion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematic of the system of the preferredembodiment for the electronic distribution of coupons.

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of the remote personal computer ofFIG. 1 configured in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary data field formats of the electronic coupondata as implemented in the present invention.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b is a pictorial representations of the online andoffline display screens, respectively, which are exhibited to a user inthe present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a printed coupon resulting from the electronicdistribution in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the main functionalareas serviced by the online service provider of the preferredembodiment system.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the use of an external cue to prompt access bythe user of the system.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention in which data is transmitted between the central repositoryand personal computer by satellite.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of the implementation of the coupondata package generation.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a system for providingproximity advertisements according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a process for presenting proximityadvertisements where the advertisements include a direct link to userprofile information according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method for providing proximityadvertisements according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a direct link to user profileinformation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the system block diagram of FIG. 1 and the flowchart ofFIG. 9, the electronic coupon distribution system of the preferredembodiment comprises a central located repository of electronicallystored coupon data, which in the preferred embodiment is an onlineservice provider 2. The term online service provider refers herein toany computer-based information service provider which is accessible by aremote personal computer user via a communications data link such as thepublic switched telephone network (PSTN) or the like, such as PRODIGY,COMPUSERVE, or AMERICA ONLINE. In addition, it is contemplated that theelectronic coupon data distribution may be carried out by connection toany readily accessible Internet site such as the World Wide Web.Referring to FIG. 8, it is further contemplated that electronic coupondistribution may also be carried out via digital satellite communicationlinks, thus avoiding the need for hardwired (i.e., PSTN) connectivitybetween the repository and the remote user computer. Thus, any centrallylocated computer system which is accessible to the public by anytransmission means is contemplated as being within the scope of thisinvention. As used herein, the term “user” denotes an individual user ora household of users linked through one account.

The online service provider has stored in its database 40 (see FIGS. 6and 10) various packages of electronic coupon data, the content of whichwill be further described below. The electronic coupon data is provided,by a coupon distributor 16 or coupon issuer 14, by any various meanssuch as electronic transmission via the PSTN or satellite data exchange.The online service provider also stores in a demographic data file 42user-specific data, including coupons selected data, coupons deleteddata, coupons printed data and user demographics, as will be describedbelow, for subsequent transmission to a coupon distributor 16. Thecoupon distributor 16 will utilize the user-specific data and couponredemption data in compiling subsequent coupon packages targetedspecifically at certain user categories.

The online service provider 2 is connected with the data link 4 and isthus accessible by any remote personal computer 6 having a datacommunications interface 20 such as a modem (see FIG. 2). The onlineservice provider communicates with the personal computer 6 in order totransmit requested coupon data, and also in order to receive couponrequests and the user-specific data mentioned above.

The remote personal computer 6 has connected thereto a printer 8, whichmay be any type of computer printer capable of printing graphics. Theprinter 8 is instructed by the coupon data management routines 32 storedin the computer 6 in order to print printed coupons 18, as will bedescribed in detail below.

The printed coupons 18 are used in the normal fashion by a consumer whenshopping at a desired retail store 10. That is, the coupons 18 arepresented to a product checkout station 11 along with the associatedproducts for purchase, and the discount amount shown on the coupon 18 iscredited to the consumer at the point of sale. The redeemed coupons 18are transmitted to a coupon redemption center 13 where they areelectronically read, and user-specific data is stored in a couponredemption database 12.

In addition to the usual coupon information found in prior art coupons(e.g., redemption amount, company and product name, expiration date,etc.), the coupons 18 of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention contain user-specific data in the form of a unique user barcode 90, as shown graphically in FIG. 5. The user bar code 90 is encodedwith user-specific information such as the user name and/or other uniqueidentification criteria such as a social security number or onlineservice address. This information renders each printed coupon 18 unique,since an otherwise similar coupon presented by a different consumer willcomprise a different user bar code 90. The use of a unique coupon 18 isbut one aspect of the secure nature of the present invention as will bedescribed in detail below.

The coupon redemption center 13 receives from a number of stores 10 thecoupons redeemed, verifies the value of the redeemed coupons, determinesthe identification of users who redeemed the coupons, and distributesthe information read from the coupons 18 to the individual coupon issuer14 and to the coupon distributor 16. In particular, informationregarding the redemption amount and the redeeming store 10 is forwardedto the particular coupon issuer 14 named on the coupon 18, which thencredits the redeeming store 10 with the total amount of discounts given.Of particular value in the present invention is the distribution ofuser-specific data to the coupon distribution center 16, which collatessuch user information and performs marketing analysis via a marketinganalysis means 17 in order to compile subsequent coupon packagestargeted specifically at certain user categories. The coupondistribution center 16 utilizes the user-specific redemption data alongwith user-specific demographic data supplied by the online serviceprovider 2 in order to compile subsequent coupon data download packagesfor use by consumers once again.

An online display screen 60 is shown in FIG. 4 a, which is provided to auser on a display 24 of his remote computer 6 whenever he is in onlinecommunication with the service provider 2. The online display screen 60comprises a join service function button 62, a download coupons functionbutton 64, a help function button 66, and an online communicationsbutton 68. When the user desires to initially register for theelectronic coupon distribution service, he selects the join servicefunction button 62 which initiates a dialog with the online serviceprovider 2 in order to request certain demographic data from the userwhich will be used to target specific coupon data packages forsubsequent downloading. The user has the option of providing therequested information if he so desires. In addition, an offline couponmanagement program is transmitted electronically to the user's computer6 for subsequent coupon data requesting, downloading and processing.

FIG. 6 illustrates the functional aspects of the online service provider2 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The mainfeatures provided by the online service provider 2 are the couponpackages file 40, the demographic data file 42, the onlinecommunications server 44, and the help file 46. Each of theaforementioned features communicates with the user via the datacommunications interface 48.

The coupon packages file 40 comprises electronic coupon data and othertypes of advertising materials supplied by the various coupon issuers 14through the coupon distributor 16. Individual users' coupon datapackages are drawn from this file based on demographic data and historicbuying profiles stored in the demographic data file 42. Advertisementsmay consist of graphics, text, recipes, competitions or otherinducements or a combination thereof.

After joining the electronic coupon service, the user can order apackage of electronic coupons from the online service provider 2 byselecting the download coupon function button 64. When this button isselected, commands are generated and transmitted via the datacommunications interface 20, through the data link 4, and up to thecoupon package file 40 resident at the online service provider 2. Therequested coupon data package and associated advertising materials aretransmitted by the online service provider 2 to the personal computer 6,where it is stored in the downloaded coupon data file 30 a in the coupondatabase 30.

The demographic data file 42 contains data representative of demographicinquiries presented to a user at the time that the user requests adownload of coupon data from the coupon package data file 40, as well asdata representative of the users' responses thereto.

The online communication server 44 is accessed by the user selecting theonline communication button 68. The online communication server is abulletin board type file where users can post messages to a coupondistributor or issuer regarding any issue of interest. The message datais transferred to the appropriate destination by the online serviceprovider 2, which also collects the responses thereto and posts them onthe online communication server 44, thus allowing the user to fetch theresponse when logged on at a subsequent time.

By selecting the help function button 66, the help file 46 is used as ameans for providing standard help and other useful information to auser.

Referring to FIG. 2, the remote personal computer 6 of the preferredembodiment comprises a data communications interface 20 (such as amodem) for connecting the computer to the data link 4 (such as a PSTN),a user input device 22 such as a keyboard and mouse or other typepointing device, a display 24, and a processor 26, all of which arecommon to personal computers and are well known in the art. The computer6 also comprises an output buffer 28, which typically resides in randomaccess memory. The computer 6 is configured to operate in accordancewith the present invention via a coupon database file 30 and an offlinecoupon data management routine file 32 loaded onto a fixed memory suchas a hard disk drive. All of these internal components and files areconnected to a data bus 21 for communication therebetween in accordancewith techniques well known in the art.

The coupon database file 30 is segmented into various sections as shownin the memory map of FIG. 2. The coupon database of the preferredembodiment comprises downloaded coupon data 30 a, which is the entirecoupon data package downloaded from the online service provider 2;selected coupon data 30 b, which is a subset of the downloaded data andrepresents specific coupons electronically “clipped” and stored therein;sorted coupon data 30 c, which is selected coupon data sorted inaccordance with a particular set of criteria (e.g., all fruits together,then all dairy products, etc.); fixed coupon parameters anduser-specific data 30 d, which is certain unvarying data used inprinting the coupons as will be described in detail below; andstore-specific data 30 e, which is information regarding the productarrangement in a certain retail store 10 which will allow the user toprepare a shopping list tailored to the particular store.

The offline coupon data management routines 32 are executed by theprocessor 26 in conjunction with the coupon database 30 in order torequest, obtain, store, select, sort, and print coupons as desired. Theoffline coupon data management routines 32 are executed by selecting adesired function button 52, 54, 56, or 58 as shown in the offlinedisplay screen 50 in FIG. 4 b. The offline display screen 50 is shown onthe display 24 when the user runs the coupon data management program onhis or her personal computer 6. The offline coupon data managementroutines 32 are executed in an offline fashion; that is, the user doesnot need to first be in online communication with the service provider2. If a particular function button 52, 54, 56, or 58 chosen by the userinitiates a routine 32 which requires online communication, that routinewill initiate, control and terminate an online session with the serviceprovider 2 automatically.

The request coupon download routine 32 a is executed when the userdesires to order a package of electronic coupons from the online serviceprovider 2. This routine is called when the user selects the downloadcoupon function button 54. When this routine is called, commandsgenerated by this routine are transmitted via the data communicationsinterface 20, through the data link 4, and up to the coupon package file40 resident at the online service provider 2. The requested coupon datapackage and associated advertising materials are transmitted by theonline service provider 2 to the personal computer 6, where it is storedin the downloaded coupon data file 30 a in the coupon database 30.

Prior to downloading the requested coupon data package to the computer6, the demographic data file 42 provides certain demographic queries tothe user in order to obtain valuable information for use in marketinganalysis and subsequent coupon package generation. The users' responsesto the queries are transmitted to the online service provider 2 andstored in the demographic data file 42 for subsequent processing.

The user may select the view function button 52 in order to view thecoupons and advertisements previously downloaded. This selection willcall the view coupons routine 32 b, which will access the downloadedcoupon data file 30 a and present it to the user via the display 24.

While viewing the coupons and advertisement, the user may select adesired coupon for further sorting, storage, printing or deleting and/orshopping list generation by selecting or “clipping” the coupon with themouse or keyboard input 22. Coupons are clipped by scrolling throughrelated advertisements. In order to avoid the need for clipping, theuser may print or delete a desired coupon. The coupons selected in thisfunction are stored for further processing in the selected coupon datafile 30 b.

The coupon file function button 56 enables the user to perform severaloperations on his selected coupon data file 30 b. The user may view thecoupons selected (from the selected coupon data file 30 b), and maychoose any of them for printing. Further, a sortation option is providedwhich logically sorts, by category and subcategory, the coupons stored.Thus, the management program automatically places all the dairy couponstogether, and may also place all the milk coupons together within thedairy category. This is carried out by the coupon sortation routine 32c, and is akin to the manual filing system used in the prior art andwill aid the user in viewing his selected but unprinted coupons in anefficient manner. The sorted coupons may be loaded into the sortedcoupon data file 30 c for subsequent viewing and printing. The user mayoptionally sort the coupons manually by his own classification.

The shopping list function button 58 calls the shopping list generationroutine 32 g when selected by the user. This routine will allow the userto generate a list from a menu presented on the screen whichever itemsthe user desires to purchase, and the user can store and/or print thislist as desired. The items on the list are compared against coupon datastored in the coupon database 30 and the user is informed of theirexistence. The user may then print out those coupons along with theshopping list. Alternatively, the user may select certain coupons forprinting, and the item associated therewith is automatically placed onthe shopping list. Thus, in either fashion, the user's shopping listgeneration and coupon “clipping” tasks are conveniently merged in atimesaving manner.

The shopping list generation routine 32 g may also advantageously usedata stored in the store-specific data file 30 e in order to prepare ashopping list tailored to an individual retail store. Thus, dataregarding the layout of the store, the food items available at thestore, and the like, are used by the list generation routine 32 g inorder to organize the purchase items accordingly. The data stored in thestore-specific data file 30 e may be obtained by any of several methods;by downloading from the online service provider 2, by inputting via afloppy disk memory supplied by the store, or even manually input by theuser. Data for different stores can be kept in the file 30 e and theuser simply selects the store he intends on using at that particulartime. The user may select a standard pre-programmed shopping list, hislast generated shopping list, or a blank shopping list from which tocommence his shopping list preparation.

The coupon upload routine 32 cc is called automatically and without userrequest whenever user requests a coupon download package from the onlineservice provider 2. A record is kept by the upload routine 32 ccindicative of each coupon selected by the user and each coupon printedby the user. This record is sent to the demographic data file 42 in theonline service provider 2, and is used for marketing analysis along withdata regarding which coupons were actually redeemed, which informationis obtained from the manufacturers' redemption agency or center.

Coupons are printed by the printable coupon data generation routine 32d, which is invoked by a user when he selects a print command from thecoupon file function 56. This routine obtains data from two sources inthe coupon database 30: the fixed coupon parameters and user-specificdata file 30 d, and the variable coupon data associated with theparticular coupon selected for printing.

Referring to FIG. 3, the data format of the fixed coupon parameters anduser-specific data are set forth and include predefined border graphicswhich are the same for every coupon printed, redemption instructions,and a user identification bar code number. The user identification barcode number is a unique number assigned to that user, e.g. his socialsecurity number or online identification number. This number will beencoded by the printable coupon data generation routine 32 d and printedas a bar code 90 on each coupon 18 printed for the particular user. Thisinformation will thus be obtained by the coupon redemption center andprovided to the coupon distributor 16 for demographic analysis and thelike.

The unique user bar code 90 also renders the electronic coupon system ofthe present invention secure and virtually fraud-proof. Although a useris able to print out a particular coupon 18 only once (to be describedin detail below), the coupon issuer 14 could still be defrauded by auser or retailer who might photocopy a printed coupon numerous times andfraudulently and repeatedly present it for redemption. However, inaccordance with the present invention, each coupon printed by a user isunique, and the scanning of a coupon presented for redemption will bestored at the coupon redemption center. Thus, the coupon issuer willknow if a particular user has redeemed a particular coupon and thusdisallow further redemption of a photocopied coupon bearing the sameindicia.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the data format of the variable couponparameters are set forth and include the coupon expiration date, theredemption amount, the company and product information, the UPC code,the redemption address, and the description of the coupon offer.

Thus, the printable coupon data generation routine 32 d combines allthis information and generates a record indicative of the unique couponto be printed. This record is temporarily stored in the output buffer28, where it is subsequently sent to the printer 8 for printing. In thealternative, the coupon may be redeemed electronically by sending thecoupon data in the output buffer via the data communications interface20 back to the online service provider 2. This is especially useful inthe “electronic shopping mall” environment now found in many onlineservices. The electronic coupon data could also be routed via the datacommunications interface 20 to a retail store where the user will beshopping, where the coupon data is held in a buffer pending purchase bythe user of the matching product.

As described above, the electronic coupon distribution system of thepresent invention allows the printing of a particular coupon only once,thus providing for security and guarding against fraudulent redemption.This is accomplished by the coupon deletion routine 32 e, which iscalled whenever a coupon is printed and deletes the coupon from thedatabase 30 or renders it unprintable by setting an appropriate flag. Inaddition, the coupon deletion routine 32 e allows for automatic deletionof expired coupons by periodically checking the expiration date field ofeach coupon against a real-time clock found in the computer 6.Optionally, the user may voluntarily delete any coupon which is expiredif the real-time clock is not set to the correct date. For the user'sconvenience, the online service provider 2 can check the system clock ofthe user's computer 6 during a communications session and, if the dateis incorrect, can ask the user if he would like the date adjustedautomatically.

Since the actual expiration date is always printed as part of thecoupon, the function of deleting expired coupon data from the user'scomputer 6 is for the convenience of the user rather than for securitypurposes.

The system of the present invention also allows for time-sensitivedeletion of certain coupon data from the user computer 6 which isunrelated to the expiration date. That is, certain coupon data may beautomatically deleted from the user's computer after, e.g., one month,notwithstanding that the coupon, if printed, might have an expirationdate in six months. This feature is included to prompt users who know ofthe time-sensitive autodeletion to promptly print (and use) couponsrather than risk having them deleted from their database.

The coupon management program also can vary the redemption value of anycoupon already downloaded to the user's computer 6 without the need forspecific user interaction. A coupon variation routine 32 f is calledwhich aids in this task. Again, any time that a user initiates adownload of coupon data, the on-line service provider 2 can updateredemption amounts for coupons whose issuers have decided to change thediscount amount.

Referring to FIG. 5, the secure coupon 70 generated and printed in thepreferred embodiment is illustrated in detail. The secure coupon 70comprises the following fixed components taken from the fixed couponparameter and user-specific data file 30 d: border graphics 72,redemption instructions 88, and user identification bar code 90. Thesecure coupon 70 also comprises the following variable components whichchange for each coupon selected: expiration date 78, redemption amount74, description of the offer 76, company and/or product information 80,the item's UPC number 82 and the associated UPC bar code 84, and theredemption address 86.

Referring to FIG. 10, the generation of coupon data packages by thecoupon distributor 16 will be explained. The information collected bythe coupon distributor 16 from the online service provider 2 regardingthe coupon data selected by the user, the coupon data printed by theuser, and the requested demographic information is stored in a database11. The database 11 also stores information from the coupon redemptioncenter 13 regarding the coupons actually redeemed by the user. Thedatabase 11 further stores information regarding all coupons which aremade available by the various coupon issuers 14 from which it willgenerate coupon data packages for subsequent downloading to users.

The information stored in the database 11 is input to the marketing andtargeting analysis means 17, which carries out the function of analyzingthe aforementioned information in a manner known in the art to arrive atdifferent coupon packages. That is, it may be determined by the analysismeans 17 that users with dogs in their household (which is known by thedemographic responses) will get a certain package comprising dog foodcoupons. It may be further determined that users who select, print andredeem dog food coupons of Brand X will get coupons issued by Brand Y,or will get only low value coupons since they are already dog foodcoupon users, etc. That is, depending on the marketing and targetingcriteria and objectives, the analysis means will generate couponpackages as desired.

Thus, the analysis means generates a number of differing coupon datapackages for transmittal to the online service provider 2. The analysismeans also provides specific mapping information which will instruct theonline service provider as to which user should be provided with whichpackage(s). For example, user 1 may be mapped to coupon data packages 2and 3; user no. 2 to packages 3 and 6, etc. This mapping function may becarried out by the coupon distributor and provided to the online serviceprovider at regular intervals, e.g. once per week. Thus, the couponselection, printing and redemption habits may be analyzed over a timeperiod and used to determine the subsequent targeted packages.

In addition to mapping certain coupon data packages to certain users,certain advertising packages may be mapped to the users in a similarfashion.

In accordance with the present invention, the marketing analysis, couponpackaging, and coupon package distribution functions carried out by thecoupon distributor 16 may be carried out at the central data repository,i.e. Internet web site. Further, the coupon redemption and userredemption information processing functions individually carried out bythe coupon redemption center 13 and the individual retail stores 10 maybe combined into a single redemption center, as shown by the dotted linein FIG. 1. The physical layout of the functions within the system of thepresent invention is a matter of practicality and choice of the systemsdesigner and does not impact the utility of the present invention.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the user isprovided with a visual or auditory stimulus or cue to suggest an accessof the electronic coupon distribution system. Referring to FIG. 7, amessage or logo may be included along with the advertising materialnormally provided on television, in the newspapers, and the like. Thiswill indicate to a user that he should access the online serviceprovider 2 in order to obtain coupon data related to the advertisedproduct. The availability of the coupon could be time-sensitive, whichwould provide further incentive to the user to use the system in aprompt and efficient manner. When the radio media is used, a tonal orspoken cue may be included during the advertising message to accomplishthe same result.

The amount of redemption discount included with a coupon downloaded to auser may be varied depending on certain demographic information that thesystem has about the user. For instance, the system may provide acertain value for known users of a brand (which information it willobtain by demographic inquiry or through previous redemptions in thesystem), and it may provider a higher discount in order to provide anincentive to users of a competitive brand. The ability to vary the valueof a discount offer in accordance with such demographic and usage datais a unique advantage offered by the system of the present invention andheretofore unavailable in the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 8, an alternative means of communication between theonline service provider 2 or the coupon distributor 16 and the remotecomputer 6 is illustrated. A satellite communications apparatus 94 isadvantageously used to provide a wireless data link 4. In thisembodiment, the data communications interface 20 is a satellite antennadish or other transceiver unit which provides operative communicationbetween the remote computer 6 and the satellite 94. A similar unit islocated at the online service provider 2 in order for full wireless datacommunications to be achieved.

The flowchart of FIG. 9 illustrates the flow of information in thesystem of the present invention. The information flow illustratedtherein has been described in detail in connection with the implementingsystem.

In a further alternative embodiment of the present invention, thefunctions of the online service provider 2 are carried out at a site onthe Internet. That is, a user may access the coupon data repository byaccessing an appropriate Internet site. In this embodiment, thedownloaded coupon management routines are encoded with a unique useridentification number, which may be for example the user's e-mailInternet address. When the user requests coupon data packages to betransmitted, the user identification number is encrypted and sent to theInternet site along with the request. Appropriate routines areimplemented at the Internet site to decrypt the user's identificationnumber and compare it against a list of valid members in order to ensurethe validity of the user.

In another alternative embodiment of the present invention, all coupondata management functions are carried out by the online service provider2 rather than by the offline coupon data management routines 32. In thiscase, the speed of access of the online service provider 2 must be high,for example on the order of 28.8 kbps. When high speed communicationsare used, the need for offline data manipulation is eliminated and allprocessing can be carried out in an efficient manner while connected tothe online provider 2.

FIG. 11 illustrates a system for providing proximity advertisementsbased on user profile, location, proximity preference and otherinformation according to another embodiment of the present invention.Online Promotion Service 102 may provide incentives to User 104 (or aplurality of users). Incentives may include coupons, promotions,rebates, sales notifications, free samples, and other incentives. Topromote product (or service) exposure, Online Promotion Service 102 mayalso provide advertisements for products (or services) and associatedincentives on various web pages. These advertisements may be presentedto a user at an identified location based on the proximity of the userand an associated redemption facility.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, user locationinformation may be conveyed to an online promotion service through aplug-in (or other location identifying device) on the user's CPU wherethe online promotion service associates a user with a particularlocation.

By identifying one or more user locations and user defined proximitypreferences, User 104 may receive targeted advertisements that arelocated within a defined proximity range to the identified userlocations. For example, by using the user's zip code, the user mayreceive targeted advertisements for product or service providers thatare located within the same zip code. This makes shopping and redeemingincentives more convenient for users.

Upon obtaining an incentive, User 104 may redeem Incentive 106 at aredemption facility, such as Retail/Point-of-Sale Facility 110, whereinformation related to the redemption process may then be conveyed toIncentive Issuer 112. Incentive Issuer 112 may provide incentivedistribution orders along with other incentive information to IncentiveDistributor 114. Based on proximity information conveyed by OnlinePromotion Service 102, Incentive Distributor 114 may provide targetincentive packages and distributor defined target ranges to OnlinePromotion Service 102. In another embodiment, Retail/Point-of-SaleFacility 110, Incentive Issuer 112 and Incentive Distributor 114 may becombined as one entity.

Online Promotion Service 102 may process information related to locationand proximity data, such as User Profile, Location and ProximityDatabase 140, Target Range Database 150, Redemption Facility LocationDatabase 160, and other information. Database 140 may include userprofile information, user location information, user specified proximityinformation and other information. Database 150 may include targetranges specified by product or service providers, incentivedistributors, incentive issuers, and other entities. Database 160 mayinclude locations of possible redemption facilities and other redemptionfacility related information.

In Database 140, user profile information may include categories ofinterest, details of user interests, frequency of visits to particularfacilities and other information. Categories of interest may includerestaurants, groceries, products, services, clothing, pets, hobbies, andother interests. Details may include the user's preferences andselections with respect to a particular category. For example, under“pets” category, the user may provide details regarding the type of petsthe user owns, how many pets the user currently owns, the type of petfood the user purchases, the preferred pet stores the user shops at, andother related information. The user may also specify the frequency ofvisits to specified pet stores. In addition, the user may requestservices or products not available at the specified pet stores.

In Database 140, user location information may include the streetaddress, city, county, state and zip code of the user's home address.Other identifying information may also be provided. The user may specifyadditional addresses, such as one or more work addresses, and otherfrequently visited locations, including schools, day care facilities,and relative's home. The user may prioritize the locations according tomost frequently visited, most conveniently located or other criteria.

In Database 140, proximity preference information may include a rangethe user is willing to travel to redeem incentives. For example, theuser may specify a proximity range of a specified number of miles theuser is willing to travel to redeem incentives. The user may alsospecify an area, county, city, zip code, shopping center or otheridentifying markers. For example, the user may identify a proximityrange of a five mile radius from the user's home address. In anotherexample, the user may identify a proximity range as being the routetraveled between the user's home address and work address. Also, theuser may identify a proximity range as a shopping area, such as a localshopping mall and associated shopping plazas within a 3 mile radius. Inanother example, the user may select a reference point address, such asa well traveled intersection, as the point of reference in determiningproximity ranges.

In addition, an Incentive Distributor, Incentive Issuer, product orservice provider, or other entity may specify proximity information,such as a target range of advertisement exposure. Location and proximityinformation specific to a particular entity, such as IncentiveDistributor 114, may be stored in Database 116. In this example,Incentive Distributor 114 may selectively target locations and areaswithin a defined range, through Target module 118. An incentivedistributor, or other service or product provider, may convey targetproximity information to Online Promotion Service 102 where thisinformation may be stored in Target Location Database 150. This aspectof the invention enables a product or service provider to targetadvertisements to potential consumers within a specified distance fromone or more redemption facilities associated with the product or serviceprovider. For example, a local florist may target advertisements (e.g.,an electronic banner ad) to consumers within a five mile radius of theflorist's place of business. In another example, a national toy storemay want to target consumers within specified cities in California andNevada where sales are lower than cities in New York and Washington,D.C. Information related to the location of possible redemptionfacilities may be stored in Redemption Facility Location Database 160.Product or service providers may selectively advertise to a specificarea based on user profile information and user preferences. Also, salesdata and marketing strategies may also be used to drive advertisementexposure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a schematic of a system presenting for providing oneor more proximity advertisements to a user located within a target rangeaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. A user may accessvarious web pages, such as Web Page 201, through the Internet byentering URL 202. For example, the user may utilize a popular searchengine to locate information on dog grooming or other topics ofinterest. While the user performs a search and views the results of theuser's query on Main Pane 206, the user may also view variousadvertisements. Advertisements may be displayed as a Banner 204, orother form of advertisement. The present invention enables an entity,such as an incentive distributor, product or service provider, todisplay an advertisement (e.g., a banner) for a particular product orservice. For example, Banner Advertisement 204 may display anadvertisement for free dog food. If the user is interested in thisproduct, the user may access the associated URL by clicking on theadvertisement (e.g., banner) or by other modes of activation. IncentivePage 210 may then be displayed to the user.

Incentive Page 210 may display Product/Service logo 212, IncentiveInformation 214, and other displays. By activating the Product/ServiceLogo 212, the user may access the home page associated with theparticular product or service. By activating Incentive Information 214,the user may view detailed information regarding the incentive, such asproduct or service information, restrictions, valid dates, and otherinformation. A user may print the incentive by selecting Print Offer216, purchase the product by selecting Buy Now 218, update/modify theuser's profile by selecting Update Profile 220, and perform otheroperations. When a user selects Update Profile 220, the user may enter,modify or update user information, such as Location Information 232,Proximity Information 234, User Interest Information 236, and othertypes of profile information.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a user mayaccess user profile information at User Profile 230 by activating UserIdentifier 205 displayed on Web Page 201. This provides a direct link touser profile information from an advertisement, such as a banneradvertisement 204. This feature enables users to quickly and easilymodify user profile information. For example, if a user no longer owns apet dog, the user may access the user's profile information from a dogfood advertisement so that this user may no longer be targeted fordog-related incentives. If the user picks up a new interest or hobby,the user may specify such information in the user profile to receivemore incentives regarding the user's new interest.

Location Information 232 may include the user's home address, workaddress, or other designated address. The addresses may include a streetaddress, P.O. box, city, county, state, and zip code. ProximityInformation 234 may include user identified proximity factors whichdefine the distance the user is willing to travel to redeem incentives.For example, the user may specify a five mile radius from the user'shome address. The user may also specify a county, shopping district, orother limitation. User Interest Information 236 may include informationregarding categories of interest, such as products, services,restaurants, groceries, clothing, pets, and other areas of interest.User profile information may be used by Coupon Distributor 16 (or otherproduct or service provider) to determine target ranges and othertargeting factors. Targeting information including target ranges maythen be conveyed to Online Promotion Service 102. Online PromotionService 102 may distribute targeted advertisements to users at targetedlocations in accordance with user defined proximity preferences,provider defined target ranges or both.

Incentive distributors (or other service or product providers) mayspecify a target range of advertisement exposure. For example, a grocerystore owner may determine that within a 3 mile radius of the grocerystore (e.g., a redemption facility), the owner may reach 100 potentialcustomers and within a 10 mile radius the owner may reach 200 potentialcustomers. The grocery owner may find it more economical to target thepotential customers within the 3 mile radius instead of the 10 mileradius because there is a greater density of potential customers withinthe 3 mile radius. This provides a more economical solution to localadvertisements.

In another example, a user's profile may identify a work address. A foodservice provider, such as a sandwich deli with limited hours ofoperation (e.g., during lunch time), may target addresses which arespecified as work addresses that are located within walking distance tothe deli. The deli may also provide greater incentives to theseaddresses, such as special lunch time discounts.

FIG. 13 is flowchart of a method 300 for generating advertisements basedon user profile information, location information, and proximitypreferences according to an embodiment of the present invention. At step310, an online promotion service may receive profile information from auser. Profile information may include information related to the user'sshopping habits and preferences. In addition, the user may also submitinformation related to categories of interest, such as restaurants,groceries, pets, hobbies and other interests. At step 320, the onlinepromotion service may receive information regarding a user's location. Auser may identify one or more locations, such as a home address, one ormore work addresses and other addresses of frequently visited locations.The submitted address may include a street address, P.O. box, city,county, zip code and other information. At step 330, the user may submitproximity preferences. This may include a range of distance the user iswilling to travel to redeem incentives. For example, the user may definea 5 mile radius from the user's home address as the user's proximitypreference. At step 340, a service or product provider or otherauthorized entity may submit one or more target ranges for advertisementexposure. For example, a pizza shop may present advertisements (e.g.,banner ads) to users who are located within a 4 mile radius of the pizzashop. Based on the information submitted, the online promotion servicemay generate advertisements that are targeted to a user within a definedrange where the range may be defined by the user, a provider, or both.

For example, Joe Smith may commute from his home in Reston, Va. toWashington, D.C. In his profile information, Joe Smith may specifyinterest in receiving incentives, such as coupons or other promotions,for Mexican restaurants within a five mile radius of his daily commutefrom Reston, Va. to Washington, D.C. San Pablo's Mexican Caf may targetpotential consumers within a 10 mile range of the Caf location inVirginia. San Pablo's Mexican Caf may then submit a target range to anonline promotion service of the present invention. Since Joe's proximitypreference falls within San Pablo's target range, the online promotionservice may present Joe with electronic banner ads (or other forms ofadvertisement) while he is online. Electronic banner ads may includespecial dining deals at San Pablo's Mexican Caf. For example, San Pablomay offer free desert night on Thursdays. This enables Joe Smith toreceive advertisements for incentives about products and services thatare of most interest to Joe and conveniently redeemable. In addition,service or product providers may effectively target potential consumerswho are located within a close proximity to an associated place ofredemption.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a direct link to user profileinformation according to an embodiment of the present invention. WebPage 201 displays an example of a banner advertisement 204 where aparticular user is targeted. When the user selects User Identifier 205,the user may be directly linked to user profile information. At a userprofile page, the user may update and modify user profile information,such as location information, proximity information, user interestinformation and other information. In addition, other forms ofadvertisement may also be displayed, as illustrated by 208.

For example, Joe Smith may want to try more That restaurants in thearea. By activating the User Identifier 205, Joe Smith may view hisprofile information and update his preferences to include Thatrestaurants. He may even delete Mexican restaurants as his preferredtype of cuisine and replace it with That restaurants.

Other embodiments and uses of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the invention disclosed herein. The specification and examples shouldbe considered exemplary only.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of generating advertisements, the method being implemented by a computer system that includes one or more physical processors programmed with one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising: receiving, at the computer system, user profile information for a user; obtaining, by the computer system, location information for the user, the location information defining a travel route along which the user is willing to receive advertisements related to providers that are within a specified proximity of a given location along the travel route; generating, by the computer system, at least one advertisement for a particular product or service for the user based on the user profile information, the location information, and the specified proximity, wherein the at least one advertisement is associated with a provider of the particular product or service that is located within the specified proximity of the given location along the travel route; and transmitting, by the computer system, the at least one advertisement to a user device associated with the user. 